Monthly Archives: June 2013

While browsing around your new phone, you may have noticed something missing from your shiny, new S4 – the Developer Options Menu. So if you find yourself saying “Where art thou?” then this post is for you – yes you.

Only modders will find this vanishing act clear as day, while the rest will know something is not quite right when they try to connect their S4 to their computers only to find it “just charging.” Don’t fret. It’s there hidden behind a hokey pokey scavenger hunt of sorts.

So why the vanishing act? Well, Google removed this easy access option, so that the technologically challenged would not mess up their phones. That is either A. Annoying or B. Genius. You pick.

So, how can you get it back? Well, keep reading…

To unlock the Developer Options menu go into SETTINGS > ABOUT DEVICE and Scroll down to BUILD NUMBER.

Now tap on “BUILD NUMBER”5 TIMES. You will see a notification pop up saying, “Developer Mode Has Been Enabled.”

If you have made it this far, congratulations! You’re a developer! Gold Star for you = ) Don’t get too excited now.

Now, back out of the ABOUT DEVICE menu and you will see DEVELOPER OPTIONS where it should be. So, you can now turn on USB debugging mode and whatever else you may need. (Note: If you are trying to connect your phone to your computer you will need to enable USB Debugging and Stay Awake).

There you have it. By the way, the first time I did this, I thought it was so incredibly awesome that I just wanted to get my hands on about 20 different GS4’s so I could do it 20 different times.

A desperate google search for the above error message has probably brought you to this page. Well, I’m happy to have you here, but I wish it was under slightly better circumstances. Needless to say, pull up a chair and stick around for a bit, because I’m going to show you how to fix it and reset your Backup Assistant account.

You will only have 2 out of the 3 (sync services and ONE of the other 2).

Backup Assistant

Backup Assistant Plus

Sync Service

Next, FORCE STOP the application, CLEAR DATA and CLEAR CACHE.

Now, you will have to create a new backup assistant account. Go into SETTINGS > ACCOUNTSAND SYNC > BACKUP ASSISTANT.

When you launch it, it will require a code, but you are not trying to restore your contacts, you are trying to backup the ones you already have on your phone. So, choose “create new account,” and then choose a password (preferably 4 zeros or something you will remember). Voila! You have simultaneously created a new backup assistant account and brought about world peace…Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating about the world peace part.

A couple of weeks ago I was at work, and out of nowhere one of the most obnoxious sounds ever blared through the entire building. I actually thought it was a fire alarm at first but soon realized it was coming from the mobile phones of every single person in the room in unison. There had to have been at least 30+ people present. You see, it is now not only the latest episode of American Idol that’s being interrupted by these pesky Emergency Alerts, because times they are a changing.

This all started in June of 2012 when the federal government and wireless service providers built a system called the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) also known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). This system sends text-like messages to wireless phones that are in the vicinity of an impacted area. Standard text messaging charges do not apply. I repeat standard text messaging charges do not apply, so you don’t have to worry about being charged for them if you are not subscribed to a texting package. Even so, many people find these rather annoying. The good news is that you can opt out of MOST of them.

There are 3 different types of messages that are sent:

Presidential Alerts – Alerts issued by the President of the United States or someone with similar authority

Imminent Threat Alerts – Alerts that include severe man-made or natural disasters, including tornados, hurricanes, tsunami or other even where there is an imminent threat to life or property

AMBER Alerts – Alerts to help law enforcement search for and locate an abducted child

*Presidential alerts are the only ones that you can not opt out of receiving*

If you wish to be excluded from these audio bundles of joy, the setting to turn them off is located within the messaging app of your device (most phones but not all). If it is not located there, you can check under the standalone settings app. The following is an example provided from the Galaxy S3/S4/Note 2 series.

On your phone FIRST go into your MESSAGING application where you can see your text message threads then press the MENU key and choose SETTINGS.

From here you will see this:

If you really wanna have some fun with this then you can click on “Emergency notification preview” in the company of someone else. The most opportune time would be in the following scenarios:

When they are either:

Sleeping, Reading a book, or Deep in thought studying for finals

At this point you should probably be prepared for bodily harm and/or flying objects.

When creating an Apple ID, if you make the unfortunate mistake of entering your birth year wrong or actually being under the age of 13 (and not fibbing about it), then be prepared to see this error message:

“You Cannot Create An Apple ID Because You Do Not Meet The Minimum Age Requirement.”

You try again and again, and then go as far as changing your birth year to 1920, and apparently (or so it seems) the ripe old age of 93 is too young to download and get one’s candy crush saga fix on. What gives?!

How to fix or get around this issue in the following scenarios:

If you turned 13 today

Make yourself 1 day older, and tomorrow you can change it back to your real day. Apple doesn’t seem to like 13th birthdays…probably the result of some repressed adolescent trauma of sorts.

If you are under 13 (and planning on lying about it thus landing yourself on Santa’s naughty list this year) or if you actually are over 13 and just messed up on entering your birth year due to your monstrous thumbs hitting the wrong key

You can wait 24 hours and try again.

Go to settings, then safari, then clear history, cookies, and cache. Then re-register for your new itunes/apple user account.

Try creating the account from a different device (for example a friend’s phone or another computer). Remember you don’t have to create it in the actual app store application under “create new account.” You can also open a browser tab and search for “apple id” and then choose to create a new account this way as well. It doesn’t have to be from an iDevice.

So, now that I have just showed children under the age of 13 how to trick the system, I’m gonna try and lay my head down on my pillow tonight and sleep soundly. Tomorrow I better help an old lady or two cross the street to balance the scale. Sweet Dreams.

Based on subscriber requests, I have decided to start incorporating occasional posts about the details (activities, events, interests…) of my life (the small portion that doesn’t actually involve smartphones and techie stuff). To be honest, at first I thought “eeeeeek” at the thought of this, as I am usually a pretty private person. So, I sat on this idea for a little while. Eventually, I thought “Why Not?!” So, without further ado here is my first “The Girl Behind The Glasses” post.

Naturally, when I sat down to think of what I should write in this inaugural post of sorts, one thing came to mind – Running. It is the single activity that I manage to love and hate simultaneously. I am only about 6 months into this hobby, but it has become a very important part of my life, much to the dismay of my family, because I’m pretty sure they are tired of me chatting about it incessantly. Gotta Love ’em!

It all started about a week before New Year’s Day when one of my best friends asked me if I would do the “Hangover 5K” with her. At this point, I chuckled, because I thought the whole January 1st date (hence the name hangover) was quite comical. I didn’t give her an answer right away, but as the week went on and I still hadn’t made any New Year’s Eve Plans I decided to sign up and wing it.

Well a very frigid January 1st came and went, and I managed to finish those grueling 3.2 miles, unfortunately NOT with flying colors, but the important part is that I finished. I was #570/788 total runners, #222/368 females, and #16/22 females(25-29). I averaged a 10:33 min/mile and my time was 32:47. While these numbers weren’t anything to hang on your fridge alongside any primary-colored alphabet magnets, I distinctly remember feeling quite proud. I felt the “runners high” that everyone always talks about for the first time in my life, but then again maybe this was just the awkward sensation in my nearly-hypothermic limbs. As a side note, do you know how weird it feels to run with numb feet? Very.

As the weeks passed, I ran when I could find the time. Actually that last sentence is not accurate. I never FOUND the time. I MADE the time, because you make time for things you want in life. I also purchased the Nike GPS Sports watch (stay tuned for review) to give myself some motivation and track my progress. In April, I participated in the Rutgers Unite 8K and then the following week an Alzheimer’s 5K funding race called “Running For Answers” (aka about a million and one steep hills back to back to back). This sounds like a blast, right?

Even after all of these, I still had problems calling myself a “runner.” I mean my motivation, heart, head (for the most part) and cardiovascular abilities were all along for the ride, but bio-mechanically I was facing a dilemma – brutal shinsplints. The next passage will consist of a monologue pertaining to myself engaging in one-sided conversation with the lower part of my legs between my my knees and my ankles.

Oh Tibias why can’t you guys just cooporate?! How I’ve spolied you both so! You have made me shell out $ on the “right” running shoes time and time again. I have surprised you with orthotic inserts, wrapped you up with kinesiology tape, and stretched you beyond what is probably humanly possible. You have been on the receiving end of some pretty intense deep tissue massages and have gotten quite familiar with a foam roller (aka a $3.99 pool noodle from Walmart). I’m even getting birthday presents from friends FOR YOU. Ya know, you two are really becoming the utmost of attention hogs.

I am now (probably) my sports medicine doctor’s best patient – along with their most mind-boggling one – and I have you to thank for introducing us, so THANK YOU! More importantly, I would probably have many more co-pays still remaining in my wallet if it weren’t for you trouble makers. I have resorted to having a complete stranger record and analyze my gait, as well as engage in running back and forth many a medical office corridor. What Gives!? Please just cooperate. You have me at my wits end. I am beyond frustrated. You say you need time, and I give it to you without hesitation over and over again, but that time is never enough. Because of you, I have been told ,”Maybe you’re just meant to be a swimmer.” Well, I’m not giving up. Quitting isn’t even remotely an option.

Ok, sorry to make you feel like a third wheel for a minute there while I had that little borderline- insane heart-to-heart. Actually, as I sit here typing away, I am currently rocking STRUTZ arch supports and pink Zensah calf compression sleeves (see photo). Uber Sexy I know! (sarcasm) I have literally tried EVERYTHING. I am at the point right now that if someone found the ugliest sneakers in the world…I’m talking like doggie doo-doo colors…heck someone could even rub them down with actual canine excrement, and I would gladly run in them if they solved my shin splint predicament. Maybe that seems a little desperate huh? At least this isn’t a dating site or I’d be in trouble. Needless to say, I’m not quitting.

Me after the GWB Challenge

This past Sunday I participated in my longest race thus far – The GWB Challenge 10K to benefit cancer research. I ran in memory of my aunt who lost her battle only a few short months ago and was proud to wear her name on my Bib. It was truly an inexplainable feeling running next to so many others representing their lost family and friends on that beautiful sunny day. In the dictionary the word “SURVIVOR” blends in in the sea of the other “S” words sharing the same page, but seeing it written on the back of a 30-something man that I matched pace with around mile #3 is a very hard feeling to describe. There were no words exchanged, as both of our playlists were probably cranked up to max volume, but none were needed. A smile said it all in that fleeting moment, and I will remember this for a very long time.

Well, the remainder of the race consisted of my left earbud breaking, the onset of typical running discomforts and me catching up to a woman that I saw a lot earlier in the race who looked like a “real runner” I couldn’t help but wonder if I looked like her when I ran. I had to dig very deep within myself for that last mile. So far, I ran non-stop, with the exception of about three, 6-8 second hydration stops, because I always manage to either drench myself or choke when attempting to run through them. My goal was to run the whole way, as I have a 10-mile race scheduled for October (scared sh*tless of this btw!), so I’m trying to build my distance endurance.

My normal fantasy of the vast runner’s buffet at the finish line wasn’t nearly enough to keep me going. The spectators’ and volunteers’ cheers of encouragement were greatly needed at this point, but just when I felt that I had nothing left, I thought of all those who had fought and who are currently fighting this awful disease. I thought of my aunt and that man whom I exchanged but only a fraction of a moment with only 2 miles earlier. The finish line was less than a mile away, and I wasn’t going to cross it any other way but strong. So, I forced each burning foot forward – left, right, left, right. I ignored the 3-alarm fire in my quads. I picked up my pace and sprinted down the homestretch and then….it was over. This was now my longest race.

I came in #143/610 total runners and #55/348 females. I averaged an 8:48 min/mile and finished in 54:31. I’m happy to say that I hit a 5K personal record with a time of 26:39. I have come a long way, and this would not have been possible if I had quit at the first sign of adversity. To the person who said that I may be a “swimmer,” I will say that this…while I enjoy swimming, I enjoy a challenge even more, and if running is my figurative mountain to climb, then challenge accepted.

My immediate post-race thoughts:

I DID IT!

Hmmm…Maybe I am a “Real” runner after all.

Yes! child-size pools of assorted Gatorade!

Bring on the delicious food!

Oh man, am I really scheduled to go into work in about 3 hours? What was I thinking? I must be a pseudo-masochist.

I have a couple of running apps that I have been using the last couple months (Zombies, Run! and Nike+, which I will be discussing in future posts), but would love to know what your favorites are. Feel free to comment and share below!

I’m not even going to try and act like I have a natural sense of direction, because I don’t. I would probably get lost going around the block. I am horrible with directions, and there is no arguing this fact, which is why GPS is a godsend for me. Fortunately, I no longer have to print out pages upon pages of MapQuest directions and can simply plug my destination into my smartphone and hit “navigate.” The turn-by-turn directions soon follow, thus thwarting the impending panic attack.

This is an ideal situation, as this is how Google Navigation is supposed to work, but what happens if when you hit “Navigate,” all you see on your screen is “Waiting For Location”??? This will happen form time to time, as it did to me this past Tuesday. I was on my way to a local park where I could bring Kenzie, my Italian Greyhound along with a big blanket and just be lazy and work on my pasty complexion for an hour or two or three… (see photo below)

Kenzie looks like she’s having a blast right?! Thankfully for her, the pink bow isn’t real. I edited it into the photo = ) Back to the issue at hand…

This minor GPS problem is EXTREMELY ANNOYING. There are several ways to fix it, and you may need to try either one or all of them. Here it goes…

Restart your phone. Sometimes this is all that is needed. Did this fix it? If not proceed.

Make sure your location is turned on. I prefer standalone and google.

Check and see if there is an update available for your Maps application from the Google Play Store. If so, download it.